


there are no wrong mistakes

by w_anderingheart



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Crushes, Fluff, M/M, Pining, i mean he's not rly a hybrid puppy but u know what i mean, jongin being described as an abercrombie model i mean ugh whats new, puppy!jongin, takes place in north america for convenience, wanderingheart's writing from 2016 YIKES
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-08-09 08:37:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16446485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w_anderingheart/pseuds/w_anderingheart
Summary: Kyungsoo is quiet and boring, and just wants to get through his first year of college. As it turns out, it isn’t quite that easy. Jongin is both the solution and the problem.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Long time, no see, everyone ♡
> 
> I was digging through my WIPs and realized I'd never posted this college!au kaisoo. This fic is not 100% done so far, but I thought I'd post this intro. I'm usually not the type to post before finishing, but I figured if I put up the first little bit, I could get some motivation to finish it off. And although I'm slowly phasing out of fic writing, I think this WIP deserves an ending before I peace out for good!
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy this one! It's really just some good ol' fluff. 
> 
> ♡
> 
> (Also, this fic is from early 2016, so is the writing good ??? prob not but here we are)

“Look,” Baekhyun says, throwing Kyungsoo one of his million-watt smiles, “it could be a lot worse.”

Kyungsoo snorts. “Worse? Really? I’ve been dumped with a roommate,” he counters, voice slightly strained as he adjusts the duffel bag hung on his right shoulder. His mother had fretted over him as he packed, insisting he needed more than one duffel bag’s worth of clothes for the next four months. Kyungsoo had argued that he has five black sweaters, which was more than enough since that’s all he ever wore anyways.

“Ah yes. You have a roommate. A vampire’s worst nightmare,” Baekhyun replies. He’s carrying bags of Kyungsoo’s toiletries and snacks, and even though he’d volunteered to help Kyungsoo move into his dorms, Kyungsoo suspects it’s only because he’s bored and wanted to spend his Saturday laughing at lost freshmen.

“I’m not a vampire.”

“You’re not?” Baekhyun gasps. “Then why does sunlight make you whine in pain?”

“The sun doesn’t do that to me, _you_ do.” Baekhyun practically _is_ the sun. He always smiles like he’s trying to harness its energy.

“Roommates aren’t that bad,” Baekhyun goes on, like he hadn’t heard Kyungsoo speak. “You’ll probably even like him eventually!”

“Or I could hate him.”

“Yes, but why entertain sad thoughts until you have to?” says Baekhyun, airily. “Like I said, could be much worse. Livern Hall is the nicest residence on campus. The walls here aren’t painted-over concrete slabs.”

They stop in front of room 226. The door is half-open which means the roommate’s gotten here first. Kyungsoo’s hands are full so he kicks the door open with his foot and shoulders himself inside. He almost shudders at the sight.

There’s no one inside but the floor is already littered with clothes and other personal belongings. He swears he even sees candy wrappers as he drops his duffel bag onto the right bed. He can feel his eye twitching. A little desk clutter was bearable but if things weren’t at least in boxes or drawers, he couldn’t think straight.

Baekhyun whistles low. “This isn’t nearly as bad as when I moved into _my_ freshman dorm,” he says, ever the optimist. “Chanyeol bought a pizza our first night and then dropped the whole box and it landed smack on our floor.” He barks out a loud laugh. Kyungsoo kind of wants to tell him to shut up, but he knows Baekhyun would be a drama queen about it and pull the ‘I’m-your-hyung, respect-your-elders’ card even though they both know that if Kyungsoo had been born just two weeks earlier, they’d both be sophomores together right now.

“Oh, hey,” says a voice behind them. Kyungsoo turns around and sees a living, breathing Abercrombie model. Now Kyungsoo’s eye definitely twitches. The Abercrombie model waves amiably. “Are you Do Kyungsoo?” He’s looking at Baekhyun, who’s standing closer to the door.

Kyungsoo nods his chin. “That’s me. Not him. He’s no one.”

Baekhyun laughs. Abercrombie smiles uneasily. “Oh. Well, okay,” Abercrombie says. He ruffles his hair with his hand, and when he raises his arm, the hem of his soft grey t-shirt lifts half an inch. “Sehun’s just gone to the bathroom. He’ll be back any second.”

“You’re… not Oh Sehun?” Kyungsoo asks, and his voice sounds scratchy and weird so he tries to clear his throat casually but he ends up in a coughing fit. Abercrombie looks alarmed and asks if he’s okay. Kyungsoo waves his hand. Baekhyun smiles and replies for him, “Sometimes he gets allergic reactions to social situations,” and Kyungsoo would flip Baekhyun off if he had enough energy. Thankfully, Abercrombie just chuckles softly and answers Kyungsoo’s question.

“No, I’m not Sehun. I actually live over at Hyert Hall. I’m just helping Sehun unpack.” He grins at Kyungsoo, shrugging his shoulders, and Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, expecting a grin like that to burn his eyes the way Baekhyun’s grins do, but this guy’s grin is different. It’s… well, maybe Kyungsoo finds strangers more tolerable than Baekhyun.

“My name’s Jongin, by the way. Kim Jongin.” He extends his hand, still grinning, and Kyungsoo steps forward and shakes it. He gives Jongin a little half-smile because it seems impolite to not smile at someone who’s staring at him so earnestly and happily. “I’m a business management major. And you?”

“English,” Kyungsoo answers, and the way Jongin’s smile gets even brighter throws Kyungsoo off for a second. Kyungsoo is used to looks of surprise and/or pity.

“English, huh? That’s impressive,” says Jongin, nodding in approval. “I hear the English program is super famous here!”

Someone appears behind Jongin in the doorway. “Move over, sweetie,” he says and Jongin steps off to the side.

“Sehun, this is your roommate, Kyungsoo,” Jongin says as Sehun steps over his clothes and flops onto his bed, stomach first. “He’s in English.”

Sehun peeks his head up to stare at Kyungsoo, fake platinum-blonde hair flopping on his forehead. His body is long and thin, his legs touching the headboard even when they’re not fully outstretched. “Nice to meet you, Kyungsoo from English,” he greets, although he has the kind of voice that’s so flat you can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic or if that’s just his voice. “I’m in music.” He lifts his arm and wiggles his fingers in the air. “Piano focus.”

“Music department?” Baekhyun perks up. “My roommate’s studying music education. He was late almost every day for his classes. Livern is pretty far from the music buildings. You’re better off in Hyert.”

Sehun shrugs. Or he tries to, in his position. “I’ll take my chances. Hyert is kind of bleh.”

Jongin walks over to the bed and sits on his butt. “ _You’re_ bleh.”

Sehun just grimaces, standing up and making Jongin slide off of him. He scoops up all his clothes and places them in a messy pile on his bed. “Sorry ‘bout the mess. If you’re a neat-freak or some shit, just let me know.”

“He’s a neat-freak,” Baekhyun supplies helpfully.

Sehun nods. “Noted,” he says, then loops his arm through Jongin’s. “We’re going down for the orientation breakfast thing. Wanna come with?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. This was already five times the amount of conversation he usually has in a week, and it was only 10AM. “I’m going to unpack a little. Nice meeting you.” His eyes drift over to Jongin, and Jongin nods and grins back.

“You too,” Jongin says, and Sehun just waves goodbye, pulling them out the door.

Baekhyun closes it behind them. Kyungsoo turns around before he can catch Baekhyun’s shit-eating grin. Either way, he can hear the smile breaking through Baekhyun’s voice as Baekhyun claps his hands down onto Kyungsoo’s shoulders and squeezes.

“A hot roommate with a hotter boyfriend,” says Baekhyun, snaking his arm around Kyungsoo’s neck. “Ain’t your semester going to be a blast, huh Soo?”

Kyungsoo just scowls and shrugs Baekhyun’s arm off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did proof read but as always, i may have missed things :( apologies in advance!

The buzz of orientation week passes quickly, and within the first month, Kyungsoo falls into a strict routine. _Classes, lunch, classes, dinner, study, sleep._ Once or twice, Sehun and Jongin manage to coerce him into joining in on their video game tournaments or movie marathons, but mostly, Kyungsoo tries to dodge them and avoid third-wheeling at all costs.

Although Kyungsoo knows they probably do want to hang out with him, he still needs the distance. Especially from Jongin. Kyungsoo was _not_ about to start crushing on his roommate’s boyfriend. (And Jongin was _painfully_ easy to crush on.)

On Friday after class, Kyungsoo gets a text from Baekhyun. He’s inviting Kyungsoo out to another house party. Kyungsoo frowns, locks his phone and tosses it into his backpack. He’s been to these parties before, the few times Baekhyun’s managed to drag him out, and Kyungsoo just didn’t get the appeal of drunk, sweaty people crowded into a living room.

And anyways, he has to study. There’s a test on Tuesday and he hasn’t looked over his notes all week. He walks out of the building, cutting across the bridge to make his way to the library.

“Hey!” someone hollers behind him, as Kyungsoo climbs the steps to the library entrance. The campus is busy at this hour, so Kyungsoo barely hears the voice. It calls out again, and this time, the person catches Kyungsoo’s wrist.

Kyungsoo startles. It takes him a second, but he realizes it’s the boy who sits two rows in front of him in his Women in Literature class.

“Hello?” Kyungsoo says, the way he would if he was answering a phone call from an unknown number.

The boy smiles. “My name’s Jongdae. I sit in front of you in—“

“Women in Literature. Yeah, I know you,” Kyungsoo nods. _But why are you talking to me,_ he adds in his head. He stops himself before it reaches his mouth.

“You’re Kyungsoo, right? I, um. I kind of noticed you study in the library on Fridays,” Jongdae hops up two steps so that they’re standing at the same level now. Kyungsoo notices they’re the same height, but Jongdae’s got small-ish shoulders which makes him seem a bit tinier. “I was wondering if you wanted to trade notes on _Jane Eyre_? I’m kind of falling behind in the class and I’d really appreciate the help.” He rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

A study buddy? Kyungsoo’s always studied alone. Studying with another person never works for him; he can never organize his thoughts. He’s about to tell Jongdae this when Jongdae interjects again, as if sensing Kyungsoo’s response. “I won’t bother you terribly, I promise! Just someone to bounce a few ideas off of would really help me out,” Jongdae says, flashing another smile that’s both sincere and apologetic. Kyungsoo presses his lips together. He’s never been good with saying no to people like Jongdae – not because he feels bad, but because he doesn’t particularly enjoy crafting a polite refusal. Too much effort.

So instead, Kyungsoo just shrugs and mutters, “Suit yourself, then” and climbs up the stairs, gesturing with his head for Jongdae to follow. Kyungsoo thinks he catches another tiny smile before he turns around and pulls open the library door.

 

 

 

-

Jongdae, Kyungsoo learns, is like a hyperactive kitten. He _looks_ like a kitten. His lips curl up like :3 and his eyes do the same every time he laughs.

Kyungsoo spends the rest of the following week breaking down the contrast between Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason to Jongdae, who continuously disagrees with the idea that Bertha is Jane’s character foil.

“It just seems like a long-shot to me,” Jongdae comments dubiously, tapping his pencil against the metal rings of his notebook. “I don’t think Charlotte Bronte was exactly going for that.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “It doesn’t matter what Charlotte Bronte was ‘going for,’ it matters how well you can argue the theory.”

“I can’t advocate for something I don’t believe in!”

“Well, you better learn how to before the next test,” Kyungsoo says flatly. He checks the time on his phone, and it’s already past 11PM. He’ll have to walk back in the dark now, which always sucks because the campus is confusing enough in the daylight. “Let’s turn in for now,” he tells Jongdae, closing his books.

Jongdae yawns and nods, stretching his arms up into the air. His glasses go all lopsided when he rolls an ache out of his neck, so he pulls them off and tucks them into a case. Kyungsoo watches him push his hair back from his forehead. Jongdae’s eyelashes, Kyungsoo notices, are super long. They look even longer without his glasses on.

Jongdae catches Kyungsoo’s gaze, grinning at him before Kyungsoo looks away. Kyungsoo scratches his cheek, gathering his books into his bag. They head outside.

“See you tomorrow, Kyungsoo!” Jongdae says, heading off to Hyert Hall with a wave.

Kyungsoo sighs, and his breath comes out faintly in a white puff. It’s cold tonight. He’d forgotten his scarf at the dorm and the air is sharp on his neck. He huddles into his jacket as the wind hits his skin, making his way back to Livern in long strides. He breaks into a light jog when he sees the residence hall in the distance.

Inside, he takes the stairs, then slides his key card into room 226. He’s surprised to find Sehun sitting on his bed; even more surprised to see Jongin sitting beside him. It’s a Thursday, which means Sehun is usually over at Jongin’s place in Hyert until really late.

But not tonight, apparently. Sehun has his laptop perched on his thighs, and he and Jongin are sharing a set of earbuds, chuckling together at a video on the screen.

“Hey, Kyungsoo,” Sehun says, without looking up from the computer. Jongin does look up though, pulling out his earbud and smiling his always-bright smile. (Seriously. Always bright. It’s almost twelve in the morning and Jongin looks like he’s just about to start a brand new sunny day.)

Jongin leans forward on the bed as Kyungsoo plops his stuff down on his desk. “Long time, no see, Kyungsoo,” he greets. Sehun takes Jongin’s abandoned earbud and puts them both in his own ears, eyes glued to his screen.

“You were here two days ago,” Kyungsoo points out, sliding into his desk chair. Jongin laughs.

“Right, but I didn’t see you yesterday,” he replies. He moves up to the edge of Sehun’s bed and stretches his legs out. He’s got long legs like Sehun, but today he’s wearing shorts so Kyungsoo can see the muscles on his calves and wonders how often he exercises. Or maybe he’s just one of those guys born with toned legs. Baekhyun’s roommate, Chanyeol, is like that. He eats like a pig and goes to the gym once in a blue moon. Kyungsoo doesn’t understand it at all.

“How was your day?” asks Jongin, tilting his head curiously. He loves small-talk. Kyungsoo realized that pretty quickly, every time Jongin came over. He just always had _questions_ , like he never ran out of them.

Kyungsoo shrugs, opening up his laptop. “Normal. Just came back from studying in the library.”

“Wait,” Jongin’s eyebrows pull together. “You walked from the library?”

“Um. Yeah?”

“But that’s like ten, twelve minutes from here,” Jongin says. He looks puzzled.

“I jogged the last bit so technically, it was like nine minutes,” Kyungsoo answers, twirling in his desk chair.

Jongin crosses his arms over his chest, biting his bottom lip gently with his teeth. Kyungsoo turns back around to his laptop. “You shouldn’t walk that far by yourself at night, you know,” Jongin tells him.

Kyungsoo tries to chuckle but it comes out a little incredulous, a short noise in his throat that’s both a laugh and a cough. He peers at Jongin over his shoulder to throw him a look. “I can walk nine minutes perfectly fine without getting jumped,” he says, returning to his laptop to type in his password.

Jongin is quiet for half a minute, and when Kyungsoo swings around in his chair to look at him again, he looks lost in thought, staring at the hardwood floor. “Do you always work at the library late on Thursdays?” he asks, after a while.

Kyungsoo lifts an eyebrow. “And Mondays.”

“Great. I’m free both Monday and Thursday nights,” Jongin grins. Back to that grin. Kyungsoo gives him a confused look. “Sehun and I usually just play video games or watch YouTube videos on Mondays and Thursdays. Or sometimes I have group projects.” Jongin crosses his legs. Kyungsoo catches himself glancing at them again. Why was Jongin even wearing shorts? It was cold as shit outside. “But I’m always free in the night. You should call whenever you finish studying. We’ll walk back together.”

Kyungsoo’s jaw falls. “Wait, what? You don’t need to walk me to my dorms, I’m a fully functioning dude who knows how to throw a punch.”

Jongin laughs again, showing all his teeth. “I don’t doubt it, but still. Roommates have to look out for each other. Sehun never lets me walk over to Hyert by myself at this hour. I always head back with some other Hyert guys who hang out here at Livern. It’s just safer.”

Kyungsoo glances over at Sehun, who’s still engrossed in his video but he looks up when he notices Kyungsoo staring. He takes out an earbud, narrowing his eyes at Jongin. “Are you talking shit about me to my own roommate, Kim Jongin?” Sehun demands.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Jongin says warmly.

Sehun scowls but puts his earbud back in. “Watch yourself, sweetie.”

“Anyways,” Jongin smiles again at Kyungsoo. “I’ll put mine and Sehun’s number in your contacts, okay? Do not walk campus at night alone, I’m telling you. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” He winks, and reaches for Kyungsoo’s phone on the other bed. Kyungsoo watches him open up the contacts list, diligently adding in his name and number. There was no use stopping him now, Kyungsoo thought.

But he still makes a show of rolling his eyes. “I appreciate it, Jongin, but I already told you,” he says, taking his laptop over to his bed and plopping down into the sheets. “I’m not some pretty, doe-eyed girl. My coat is black, anyways. You probably can’t even see me in the dark.” (Baekhyun used to make that joke all the time in high school. They’d be walking back from late-night study sessions or dinners and Baekhyun would randomly look over and pretend Kyungsoo had disappeared.)

“I know,” Jongin mumbles, attention still fixed on the phone screen as he opens up Kyungsoo’s emoji keyboard. “But you’re a pretty, doe-eyed _boy_ and regardless, you should always be careful.” Kyungsoo’s tongue goes heavy for a second, like he can’t formulate a response. He coughs, scratching the side of his neck. Jongin presses ‘OK’ on Kyungsoo’s phone and when he hands it over, Kyungsoo sees two new contacts in the list, each of them marked with a string of happy-face emojis.

“So I better get a call from you on Monday,” Jongin warns, shifting backwards on Sehun’s bed so he’s beside him again. He flashes Kyungsoo one last smile before curling up to Sehun’s side and watching the video over his shoulder.

Kyungsoo blinks, studying them. They never kiss in front of Kyungsoo. Or hug or hold hands or anything even remotely resembling PDA. But the way their eyes go soft at the edges, a slight little curve, makes Kyungsoo think of all the books he’s read and all the different ways his favourite writers have described two characters gazing at each other.

Kyungsoo catches sight of himself in the screen of his laptop suddenly, and notices the colour in his cheeks. He presses a hand to his skin. Hot. But then he remembers he’s still dressed in two undershirts and a sweater, so he hops out of bed and heads into the bathroom to shower and change, and when he comes back, Jongin has gone back to Hyert for the night.

 

 

 

-

Kyungsoo eats lunch with Baekhyun and his roommate, Chanyeol, the next day. The first time Kyungsoo met Chanyeol was Christmas break of last year when Baekhyun brought Chanyeol home to celebrate the holidays with Baekhyun’s family because Chanyeol’s had decided to extend their vacation and stay in Paris with Chanyeol’s older sister and her husband.

Kyungsoo had gone over to Baekhyun’s house the day before Christmas Eve. The three of them were playing Super Smash Bros. It hadn’t even been five minutes before Kyungsoo gave them two looks and asked them bluntly if they were dating. Baekhyun, as always, had said, “What, us? Nah, you know I’m straight” and Chanyeol had just shrugged and tipped his head in a way that didn’t look like a yes or a no. Kyungsoo figured they were probably sleeping together. He still kind of thinks they are.

Today they’ve taken Kyungsoo to a noodle place, a block from campus. Kyungsoo stirs his soup broth slowly, blowing on the string of steam that rises from the bowl. Baekhyun taps his chopsticks against his glass of water.

“Five weeks into college, K-soo. How’re you holding up?” he says. Beside him, Chanyeol slurps his noodles into his mouth loudly.

Kyungsoo shrugs, sipping his broth. “I’m alive.”

“Great, that’s the first step in surviving college,” Chanyeol says wisely, nodding to himself. He’s wearing a snapback that makes his large ears stick out at the sides. Baekhyun pulls one fondly and Chanyeol barely reacts.

“Seen anyone cute yet?” asks Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo makes a vague sound in the back of his throat. “Not really.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Baekhyun snorts. “Even you, modern vampire, must find _someone_ good-looking. First-year classes are gigantic. You can’t tell me you talk to no one.”

“I talk to no one.”

“Liar,” Baekhyun says flatly. “Tell me there’s at least _one_ human being you’ve made friends with.”

Kyungsoo twirls his noodles with his chopsticks, neatly gathering the noodles in his spoon before tossing it into his mouth. He chews and thinks about it. “Sehun and Jongin.”

Baekhyun groans, frustrated. “They don’t count!”

“Why not?” Kyungsoo and Chanyeol say at the same time.

Baekhyun turns to Chanyeol. “Sehun is Kyungsoo’s roommate and Jongin is Sehun’s boyfriend. They’re not even Kyungsoo’s classmates! He talks to them because they literally share a room so he _has_ to talk to them.” He looks pointedly at Kyungsoo again, stabbing a fish ball with his chopstick. “Roommates, and roommates’ boyfriends, don’t count.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and dabs lightly at his mouth with a napkin. “Fine,” he says. “There’s Kim Jongdae.”

Chanyeol chokes on his food. Baekhyun’s jaw drops. “Kim Jongdae?” he exclaims.

“Yeah, why? Do you know him?” Kyungsoo asks.

“Kim Jongdae is super rich!” Baekhyun explains. He makes wide, stupid gestures with his arms, apparently as a physical demonstration of Jongdae’s wealth. “He’s Kim Joonmyeon’s cousin. D’you know Joonmyeon-hyung? He’s a fourth year who already has an internship with like, the government or something. But anyways, the family is _rich_. Old money rich. And Joonmyeon is an absolute gentleman. Like, white-horse knight kind of gentleman.” Chanyeol nods along like he’s never heard truer words.

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrow. “What is your point exactly?”

“Joonmyeon-hyung talks about his little cousin Jongdae like he’s the best thing since sliced bread,” Baekhyun says. “And if Joonmyeon says he’s awesome, then he really must be awesome.”

“Where’d you even meet him?” Chanyeol interjects, leaning forward on his elbows.

“He’s in my Women in Literature class,” Kyungsoo shrugs.

“Is he cute?” Baekhyun taps the table urgently. Tactless, as always.

Kyungsoo opens his mouth. Then closes it. “Well, he’s? I don’t know. Normal.”

Baekhyun almost yells, grin splitting his face. “Shit, oh my God. He’s cute!”

Chanyeol looks confused. Kyungsoo sighs. “I didn’t _say_ he was cute.”

“No, you didn’t,” Baekhyun says. “But you didn’t say he _wasn’t_ cute. So that means he _is_.” He wiggles his eyebrows, twirling the plastic straw in his water. The ice cubes in his cup spin around and tinkle against the glass. “I think you should hop on that, Kyungsoo. He could be your sugar daddy.”

Kyungsoo pictures Jongdae’s kitten face and his small shoulders, and then pictures him as a ‘sugar daddy.’ His stomach flips. “Um,” Kyungsoo says.

Baekhyun pulls a face. “What do you mean ‘um’? Is he nice?”

“He’s fine, I guess.” Kyungsoo didn’t really know what to say.

“Wow,” Baekhyun’s eyes are shining like he might cry. “Not a single insult about him. This really might be the start of something for you, Soo.”

Kyungsoo kicks him under the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually hate posting fics in bits and pieces (im sorry) but i just need a lil extra time to write the ending (the whole story is already 70% done!) 
> 
> thank you for your patience!! x


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> long-ish update because it's been a while! once again, i appreciate everyone's patience so much! school is literally whipping my ass rn :( i hope you all stick around for the tooth-rotting fluffy sweetness that is this fic xo

On Monday, at 11:30PM, Kyungsoo and Jongdae make their way out of the library. Kyungsoo’s phone rings almost immediately, and the screen lights up with a call from ‘ _Jongin!! :) :) :)_ ’

“Hello?” Kyungsoo says.

Jongin’s voice comes out smoother and deeper through the phone. “Hey! Are you finishing up at the library?”

“Yeah, I’m uh,” Kyungsoo coughs. Damn it, he forgot his scarf again. “I just finished.”

“Oh, okay. Stay right there. I’m just at the math building with some friends. I’ll be there in three.” The call ends and Kyungsoo sighs, and slides the phone back into his pocket. Jongdae is pulling a beanie over his ears when Kyungsoo turns to look at him.

“See you Thursday?” Jongdae asks, shuffling from foot to foot. Kyungsoo wonders if he’s just as cold as Kyungsoo is himself. It feels like winter might come early this year.

“Yeah. See you Thursday.”

“Thanks again for lending me a draft of your essay,” Jongdae waves the folder Kyungsoo had given him today. “You’re saving my ass big time.” His mouth curls up gently at the edges, and Kyungsoo stuffs his hands in his coat pockets, rocking his feet back and forth.

“Sure, no problem,” Kyungsoo says easily, although the little eye-smile Jongdae shoots back is almost endearing in the darkness.

Jongdae starts to turn around. But then he pauses and looks at Kyungsoo over his shoulder. “Let’s, uh… we should grab lunch or something after class. I owe you.”

 _Lunch?_ thought Kyungsoo. He doesn’t have time to figure out what to say before Jongdae starts waving, and Kyungsoo finds himself nodding and watching him walk away.

Jongin appears less than a minute after Jongdae’s rounded the corner.

“Good, you’re still here,” Jongin smiles at him as Kyungsoo leads the way down the path towards Livern. Jongin catches up with him in three easy strides.

Kyungsoo snorts. “Were you expecting me to rebel and run away without you?”

Jongin chuckles, shrugging. “You didn’t seem very keen on the idea the other day.”

“It just seems unnecessary on your part,” Kyungsoo mumbles. Then he clears his throat awkwardly. “It’s not that I don’t… appreciate the gesture or whatever.”

“I told you, it’s not a hassle at all,” Jongin insists. He’s pretty tan, now that Kyungsoo’s really looking. He doesn’t have the pale, milky skin that Kyungsoo or Baekhyun or Sehun has, but it certainly suits him.

Kyungsoo catches himself staring, and re-aims his gaze. The dull streetlights around them cast their bodies in long shadows against the pavement. Jongin’s teeth are stark white when he smiles again. “Gosh, hasn’t anyone done you any favours in your life, Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo hums. “My only close friend is Baekhyun. We went to high school together, in our home town. I guess I’m just used to being annoyed with everything he does that I’ve forgotten what accepting favours is like.”

Jongin laughs lightly. “Baekhyun’s quite popular on campus,” he says, laughing a little harder when Kyungsoo makes a face. “No, really! There’s a girl in my econ class who has a crush on him. And a group of girls in one of Sehun’s classes who talk about him all the time. He might even have a freshman fan club for all we know.”

“Yeah, well,” Kyungsoo shrugs helplessly. “He’s always had a way with people. We’re opposites like that.”

Jongin hums. “Well, don’t say it like that. That’d be selling yourself short.”

Kyungsoo smiles, mostly with sarcasm. “You don’t know me, Jongin. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little…”

Livern appears just behind a patch of large trees. He sees the lights of the residence hall in the distance and realizes that the path from the library really is quite dark.

Jongin tilts his head to look at Kyungsoo. “A little… what?”

Kyungsoo licks his lips. “A little dry.”

“Dry?” repeats Jongin. He scrunches his nose, like he’s eaten something distasteful. “You are definitely not dry.”

Kyungsoo almost wants to laugh. “You haven’t spent enough time with me to say that.”

“No, maybe not,” Jongin concedes, kicking a little pebble with the toe of his sneakers. It goes skidding off the path, into the grass. “But I just don’t think people can be ‘dry.’ There’s always something that sparks life into a person. At least one thing they care deeply about. And you can see it in their eyes.”

Kyungsoo stares at him for a moment, studying his profile. Jongin’s shoulders are a little hunched in from the cold, but Kyungsoo thinks Jongin might be a full head taller. Kyungsoo’s never stood this close to him before, so he hadn’t noticed Jongin’s height but he notices now that Jongin has to look down a little to meet Kyungsoo’s eyes at this distance.

“When you’re reading a book,” Jongin says.

Kyungsoo blinks. “What?”

“I’ve seen you when you’re reading a really good book,” Jongin continues, pulling the neck of his jacket a little higher up. “Your eyes go really big – well, bigger than normal because you’ve got pretty big eyes already – and they just fly across the paper, so quick and animated. And you press your lips together in concentration sometimes. Like when you’re at a good part in the story or something.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just coughs and rubs his hands together for warmth before shoving them back into his pockets. If Jongin had been watching Kyungsoo that closely, he wonders if Jongin noticed Kyungsoo watching him back.

“You look really cold,” Jongin comments, once they’re walking up the pathway to the dorms.

“Yeah, I forgot my scarf again. I always forget it in the mornings when it’s still warm,” mumbles Kyungsoo, pulling his coat around himself tighter. “Are you coming up to hang out with Sehun?”

Jongin cards his hair back with his fingers, one of his idle habits Kyungsoo has noticed. “Oh yeah, um. Yeah, I’ll come up.” He pauses, staring at Kyungsoo for a second or two before he nods. “To say hi to Sehun.”

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at him. Jongin just smiles back.

 

 

 

-

Just like they’d planned, after 19th-century Fiction, Jongdae buys Kyungsoo a meal at a sushi place. They talk back and forth a little bit about Jane Eyre – Jongdae questioning about half of her life decisions in the book, while Kyungsoo defends her. (He’s always liked Jane, as a character. She was very no-nonsense in his eyes.)

“I don’t think she really needed Rochester, though,” Jongdae proposes. A slice of tuna sashimi is dangling from his chopsticks. It falls and lands into his soy sauce tray. “Like, she didn’t _have_ to go back to him.”

Kyungsoo washes down a roll with a sip of green tea, shaking his head. “No, she didn’t ‘have’ to do anything. But she does it because it’s her own choice. I think that’s the point.”

Jongdae presses his sashimi into the soy sauce, flipping it over twice so it’s coated. Kyungsoo doesn’t really get why you need so much soy sauce. It’s way too salty for his taste, plus it makes all the different sashimi just taste soy-sauce-flavoured. “But isn’t it a little bit like Rochester was just the lesser of two evils? Like, marry this St. John guy or run back to Rochester?”

Kyungsoo gives him an unimpressed face. “She loves Rochester, though. Genuinely. And she chooses her love over societal duty or whatever,” Kyungsoo says, popping an edamame bean into his mouth. “You should look at it more existentially. I noticed our prof really likes the existential analysis.” He looks up at Jongdae and Jongdae is smiling.

“Why’re you smiling?” mumbles Kyungsoo, raising his tea cup to his lips so he has an excuse to duck his head.

Jongdae shrugs. “Nothing. You’re just really good at analyzing fiction. It’s, I don’t know, cute.” His glasses fall down the bridge of his nose when he leans forward to eat another piece of sushi. Kyungsoo watches him push the frames back up, grinning even wider when he sees Kyungsoo still staring.

“You’re kind of blushing right now,” says Jongdae.

Kyungsoo scoffs. “I don’t blush,” he replies, reaching over for more edamame beans. “I’m also _not_ cute.”

“You are, though.” Jongdae leans his head into the palm of his hand, studying Kyungsoo through his super long eyelashes.

“Don’t call me cute,” Kyungsoo repeats, pointing a chopstick at him but he just smiles even harder.

“You’re cute!” Jongdae says again, this time louder, and Kyungsoo knows he’s just trying to get a reaction but Kyungsoo reacts anyways, ducking his head and blushing even more when a few patrons look over.

“Who’s cute?” a voice cuts in. Kyungsoo turns around and sees Sehun, with Jongin trailing behind him. Sehun walks up to their table, ruffling Jongdae’s hair playfully. Jongdae laughs, punching him in the stomach without force, trying to push away his hand. “Kyungsoo’s cute?” Sehun chuckles.

Jongdae pauses. “Oh, you know each other?”

“He’s my roommate,” Sehun answers. Then he looks at Kyungsoo. “Jongdae, Jongin and I have Classical Mythology together. Jongdae sits next to me and steals all my notes.”

“He steals mine too,” Kyungsoo supplies.

Sehun flicks Jongdae’s forehead. “Don’t ruffle Kyungsoo’s feathers too much, got it?” he wags his finger like a father. “Kyungsoo gets ruffled easily.”

“Oh, I know,” Jongdae claps his hands together and sends Kyungsoo a tiny wink. “But he let me call him cute without kicking me so I think that’s progress. Right, Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo bites his lip and chuckles despite the flush on his neck. “Just don’t push it,” he mutters, and Jongdae laughs and throws him a thumbs-up.

“Well, Jongin and I are fucking starving so enjoy your date, kids,” Sehun says. Both Kyungsoo and Jongdae give Jongin a hello as he passes them, but Jongin just waves as he follows Sehun to a table.

Kyungsoo furrows his eyebrows. “He seems quiet today.”

Jongdae swipes up some wasabi onto his chopstick. “Who, Jongin? Well, he got a bad mark on our last Mythology test. I think he’s really worried about it.”

Kyungsoo hums. “Oh. Well, there’s time to pull it up, isn’t there?”

Jongdae makes a so-so gesture with his hand. “He’ll have to ace our next test. Like _ace_ it. And he doesn’t like reading much,” Jongdae tells him.

Kyungsoo glances over to their table. Jongin is slumped forward in his chair, and Sehun’s mouth moves a mile a minute, presumably trying to get Jongin to laugh. Kyungsoo’s never seen Jongin go more than five minutes without grinning. It’s strange, almost – like the way a cloudy day in August is strange, or snow before November. Sehun reaches over, squeezing Jongin’s cheeks fondly and a tiny smile slowly spills over Jongin’s lips. Sehun claps, looking triumphant. Jongin’s eyes go soft, slightly exasperated, but at least he’s smiling again.

Kyungsoo looks away, turning back to Jongdae, who’s starting up another _Jane Eyre_ debate.

 

 

 

 

-

November comes quickly and brings the cold along with it. Kyungsoo studies late into the night, always with Jongdae on Mondays and Thursdays. Sometimes they’ll catch lunch together and work the whole afternoon. Baekhyun comes by a few times to bring them coffee, which he uses as an excuse to “get to know Jongdae.”

“So _you’re_ Joonmyeon’s cousin,” Baekhyun drawls, inspecting Jongdae’s face up-close like he’s a specimen under a microscope. “He sings your praises, you know.”

Jongdae just chuckles and does the sheepish neck-rub thing he always does. He looks at Kyungsoo awkwardly, and Kyungsoo just smiles. “He exaggerates,” Jongdae mumbles.

“He told me you graduated first in your class,” Baekhyun says, sipping his iced coffee carefully.

Jongdae waves his hand dismissively, looking back down at his notes. Kyungsoo’s eyebrows shoot up. “First in your class? You never told me that,” he says.

“Ah, it’s whatever,” Jongdae shrugs. “Anyways, I’m really screwed for this essay.” He ruffles his hair and groans as he stares at the piles of sheets strewn across the work table. Kyungsoo has noticed that Jongdae’s the type to stress easily. Assignments make him cave within minutes and he’s the worst procrastinator, almost as bad as Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo licks his lips. “Well, I could… send you the draft of mine. Maybe it’ll help get you going,” he offers. Jongdae’s eyes light up and he clutches Kyungsoo’s arm. His hand is small and warm through Kyungsoo’s hoodie.

“You are a LIFESAVER.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “As you always remind me.” He can see Baekhyun watching them out of the corner of his eye, and it makes him aware of the heat along his neck, spreading up to his cheeks and the ends of his ears. Kyungsoo hates that he blushes at the ears. Thankfully, Baekhyun just sips his coffee and says nothing.

Afterwards, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo head back to Livern, parting ways with Jongdae. They go to Kyungsoo’s room since it’s closer, and Baekhyun plops himself down on Kyungsoo’s bed while Kyungsoo takes a seat at his desk.

“I know you like him,” Baekhyun says and props his chin up on one of Kyungsoo’s pillows. He’s lying down on his stomach, watching Kyungsoo open up his laptop and pretending Baekhyun isn’t there. “You’re soft on him.”

“What’d you mean,” Kyungsoo mutters.

Baekhyun makes a _psh_ noise, disbelieving. “Oh please, Soo. You can’t hide things from me. You know we’re telepathic, right?” he insists. He rolls over onto his back so that he’s looking up at Kyungsoo upside down. At this angle, Kyungsoo can see the side of Baekhyun’s neck and a spot behind his ear that’s dark and faintly purple. Definitely a hickey. Definitely a Chanyeol-shaped hickey.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Don’t get up on _my_ ass about secrets, Byun,” he says smoothly.

Baekhyun frowns. “What’re you on about?”

“Nothing,” Kyungsoo sighs. He yawns and rubs his eyes carefully. His contacts are feeling dry from staring at his laptop screen all day.

“You’re giving Jongdae your essays, though?” Baekhyun asks, chuckling. “Are you even Do Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo rolls his neck, shrugging. “It’s just to look, not to copy.”

Baekhyun flips himself around onto his stomach again, crawling up the bed so he can get a closer look at Kyungsoo. He tilts his head, grinning slowly. “You really do have feelings,” he says, the ends of his mouth reaching ear-to-ear.

Kyungsoo drums his fingers against his desk and sighs. “Fine, he’s not terrible, okay?”

Baekhyun sits up, resting the pillow in his lap. “I’m happy for you, Soo.”

Just then, the door flies open and Sehun comes in with take-out containers of Chinese food from the fast-food place on campus. Jongin is right behind him, carrying three sodas.

“Oh, Baekhyun-hyung,” Sehun says, when he sees Baekhyun on the bed. “I didn’t know you’d be here. I only got enough for three.”

Baekhyun jumps up happily and takes a container out of Sehun’s hands. “That’s all right, I’ll just eat out of Kyungsoo’s. He’s a vampire, anyways. Doesn’t eat much.” He digs around the takeout bag for some chopsticks and sits back down on the bed. Kyungsoo hates eating on the bed but there isn’t much room for Baekhyun to go anywhere else. The room is crowded enough as it is with two extra bodies.

Jongin places a soda can on Kyungsoo’s desk and smiles. He’s dressed in dark jeans and a long black coat today. His cream-coloured scarf falls across Kyungsoo’s shoulder for a brief second when Jongin leans over him.

“A vampire, huh?” Sehun says, popping the tab on his soda. It fizzes out slightly and overflows on his hand. He swears, wiping his hand on his sweater. “I’ve seen him in the sunlight and he doesn’t sparkle.”

“He does,” Baekhyun replies, pinching a piece of General Tso chicken between his chopsticks. “You just can’t see under all his big hoodies.”

Sehun chuckles approvingly at that as Jongin takes off his coat and unwraps his scarf, dropping them both haphazardly onto Sehun’s rarely-used desk chair. He joins Sehun on the floor, sitting cross-legged with his back against the bed. He’s still being a little quiet today, and Kyungsoo wonders if he’s still bummed out about his crappy Mythology test.

“So,” Baekhyun starts, and Kyungsoo knows that that is the worst way for Baekhyun to begin any conversation. “Kyungsoo needs some relationship advice.”

“Baek!” Kyungsoo kicks him from his desk.

“What?” Baekhyun asks, innocently. “Don’t be such a baby.”

Sehun narrows his eyes. “Is this about Kim Jongdae?”

Baekhyun nods so hard his hair flops on his forehead. “I think Kyungsoo needs a little extra push.”

“Oh my God, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and turns resolutely to his laptop screen. Leave it to Baekhyun to discuss Kyungsoo’s non-existent love-life to everything that breathed.

“Hmm, just kiss him,” Kyungsoo hears Sehun advise. “Right, Jongin? Isn’t straightforward the best policy?”

Jongin lets out what Kyungsoo supposes is a chuckle, but it’s soft and all breath. “Um. Maybe that’s a little _too_ straightforward,” he answers. Sehun seems to ignore him because he starts asking Baekhyun all these questions about Jongdae – is he really Joonmyeon’s cousin? So he’s really that rich?

After a while, Kyungsoo’s mostly tuned them out, putting an earbud in one ear while he finishes editing his Women in Literature essay due at the end of the week. He’s not sure how much time passes before Baekhyun announces he better go back to his dorm, and Sehun tells Jongin to head over to Hyert before it gets dark.

Jongin taps Kyungsoo’s shoulder on his way out. Kyungsoo takes out his earbud.

“You’ll be late at the library tomorrow, right?” asks Jongin, wrapping his scarf around his neck.

Kyungsoo nods. “Probably, yes.”

“Okay. Don’t leave without me. I’ll walk you back again,” he says. His smile gets lost beneath his scarf as he zips up his coat and slips into his shoes.

“Be safe, sweetie,” Sehun waves at him lazily from where he’s sprawled out with his phone on the bed.

“See ya,” Jongin replies. Then to Kyungsoo, he grins once more, and although Kyungsoo can’t see his mouth, he catches Jongin’s eyes curve up at the ends.

The door shuts behind him when he leaves, and Kyungsoo stays up into the night until he’s satisfied with his essay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have to write literally just two more scenes i swear im almost done ;; thank u, always, for reading/liking/commenting ily


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a fat update!! hope u enjoy~

The following night, Kyungsoo and Jongdae finish up later than usual. It’s almost 11:50PM when they make their way out of the library and into the cold air. Kyungsoo didn’t forget his scarf this time, but Jongdae doesn’t have his beanie so the ends of his ears go pink pretty quickly.

“I really wouldn’t be surviving this semester without you, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae says, with his sheepish little kitten smile.

Kyungsoo shrugs. “Don’t mention it,” he says. “The, um. The buddy-studying was actually… fun for me too.”

Jongdae looks elated. “That’s good to hear. I’m glad it’s… not all one-sided, then,” he replies, and his eyes flicker down briefly to somewhere else on Kyungsoo’s face before they trail back up to his eyes. For a moment, Kyungsoo thinks Jongdae is about to say something more. But then he just turns on his heel and wishes Kyungsoo a good night.

Kyungsoo waves back, waits until he’s turned the corner, and then walks down the library steps. He sees Jongin standing under the streetlight already, hands in his coat pocket. Kyungsoo checks his phone. He hadn’t even called Jongin to remind him.

“Sorry, were you waiting?” Kyungsoo asks as they start down the path.

Jongin just shrugs a little. “Nah, it’s cool,” he says. His voice sounds funny today; stuffy, like he’s gotten a cold or something. “So… you study with Jongdae. I didn’t know it was Jongdae.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo says. “We have Women in Literature together. It’s good to bounce ideas off each other.”

“Hmm,” Jongin replies. He doesn’t say anything else for a minute, so Kyungsoo looks over at him curiously.

“He told me about your Mythology test,” Kyungsoo decides to say, after a moment of deliberation. “I know you didn’t get the mark you wanted. But hey, if you ever need help getting through a reading, you could always hit me up. I know a tiny bit about Mythology. Took a class in high school and loved it. Maybe I could help you study for the next one.”

Jongin still isn’t saying anything but when Kyungsoo glances at him, he looks utterly confused, frowning. “Wait,” Jongin says, shaking his head. “Why was he talking to you about my Mythology marks?”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo scratches his nose delicately with his finger. He can feel his skin going cold. “Well, there was that one day where we all ran into each other at the sushi place. And you seemed quiet. I wondered why and Jongdae said you were down about this one test mark.”

Jongin is quiet, but then he laughs, although it’s more like a quick exhale. “That’s… I wasn’t…” he licks his lips, and then sighs. “It’s not about my mark. It’s… other things.” He rubs his nose with his finger, sniffling once, and Kyungsoo thinks he probably did catch a bad cold. “Never mind.”

They walk another two or three minutes in silence. Kyungsoo is aware of how thick the darkness feels in the quiet. He coughs, trying to make noise, but it doesn’t help. Instead, he just stares forward and waits until Livern’s lights come into view. It isn’t for a while that Jongin clears his throat and says, “Kyungsoo, there’s something you should know about Jongdae. He’s…”

Kyungsoo looks over at Jongin sharply, bemused. Jongin is staring at the ground in front of them. “He’s not the most honest person. He cares a lot about grades and he can… he’ll do anything to get those grades.”

Kyungsoo’s cheeks feel numb. It could be from the wind, but he isn’t really sure. “I don’t understand,” he says slowly.

“I went to school with Jongdae in ninth and tenth grade,” Jongin blows a piece of hair out of his eyes. “He really knows how to work people. How to make you feel like a friend, how to bend a teacher into their best mood.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, not entirely sure what Jongin was getting at. The expression on his face is impossible to read in the dark. As Kyungsoo is trying to figure out a response, Jongin just sighs again and waves his hand in front of his face dismissively. “Damn it, I’m sorry I said that. It wasn’t my place. I know you like him—“ he stops all of a sudden, running a hand through his hair. “I’m kind of a serial worrier,” he chuckles quietly. “Sorry I sound like a parent. Sehun tells me I sound like a parent all the time.”

They’re approaching Livern now. Kyungsoo’s head is still reeling a bit, unsure of what to say. Then, “How long have you known Sehun?” he asks Jongin.

“Eleventh grade. I moved towns after sophomore year. I was the awkward new kid,” Jongin shrugs. “Sehun was in three of my classes. He kind of just adopted me into his friend group.”

Kyungsoo hums. “So it’s only been about three years or so?” he says. “It seems like you two know each other inside out.”

Jongin nods. He’s not wearing a scarf today and Kyungsoo can only wonder how in the hell he isn’t freezing cold. “I do feel like I’ve known Sehun forever,” he replies. He looks down at the ground, kicking the ground with his feet a little. His next words sound careful. “But I don’t think time can always measure how much you care for a person.”

 

 

 

-

Jongin doesn’t come up to the room tonight. He sees one of his friends from Hyert in the lobby and they head back together. Kyungsoo makes his way to 226 and when the door lock flashes green, he finds Sehun wide awake in bed still, phone in hand watching orchestra performances on YouTube.

“Oh, good you’re back – alive and in one piece,” Sehun yawns loudly and throws his phone onto his table. “I was getting worried. You took forever. Did you guys go somewhere?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “No, I just finished late. Around 11:50 tonight.”

Sehun’s eyes widen slightly. He frowns and his thin lips go thinner. “11:50? Damn. That’s… late,” he says.

“I lost track of time,” replies Kyungsoo, pulling his sweater off and dumping it on his desk.

“Jongin went to get you at 11:15.”

Kyungsoo turns around. “He—wait. What?” He was waiting _that_ long?

Sehun doesn’t say anything for a while. Kyungsoo can’t really read his expression. Then Sehun just blinks, scratches his head, lies back down into his pillows and crawls under his blanket. Kyungsoo goes to shower, and by the time his own head hits the pillow, the night is already passing into a dream.

 

 

 

-

On Friday, Kyungsoo is asked to go see his Women in Literature professor after class. For a moment, he’s bewildered. He worked really hard on that essay and thought it turned out pretty well. It couldn’t be bad enough to warrant an after-class conversation. And it definitely wasn’t exceptionally amazing. A solid B maybe. Perhaps a B+ if the prof was in a good mood.

He knocks on his professor’s door, three short taps. When the door opens, Kyungsoo sees a small office with a desk, lots of shelves, and two chairs.

And in one of those chairs, is Jongdae.

“Come in, Kyungsoo,” the professor says, letting the door click shut behind him. “Please. Have a seat.”

Jongdae is looking at his shoes as Kyungsoo steps around the desk and carefully sits down in the chair beside him. He places his backpack at his feet, and their professor is shuffling together a stack of papers that Kyungsoo realizes, belatedly, is his essay.

“I read your paper, Kyungsoo,” she starts, a fountain pen in one hand, tapping steadily on her desk. Kyungsoo shifts in his chair. She isn’t looking at him with any readable expression, but her eyebrows are bent forward severely and her red lips are in a solemn line. “What you’ve submitted is very insightful. The ideas and analysis are beyond what I would have thought capable of a first-year.”

Kyungsoo feels more confused now than he was when he walked in. He’s about to thank her when she leans back in her chair, pointing her pen at Jongdae.

“And I just told Jongdae here the exact same thing,” she interjects. Kyungsoo looks to his left, puzzled. Jongdae is sitting with his legs-crossed, hands folded in his lap, and his eyes are still staring down. His face is totally blank. “Did you know, Kyungsoo,” the professor starts again, “that yours and Jongdae’s papers are about eighty-five percent identical?”

Kyungsoo whips his head to stare at her, jaw hanging low. He feels a skip in his chest as he looks back and forth between his professor and Jongdae. “Wait a second,” he shakes his head. “I don’t understand.”

His professor raises a thin, dark eyebrow. “You did not plagiarize Jongdae’s essay?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes almost fall out of their sockets. “ _No_. Absolutely _not_.”

“Well,” she sighs, sitting forward in her chair again. “Jongdae claims he knows nothing either.”

The floor seems to tilt under Kyungsoo’s feet. All of a sudden, he thinks of last night, of Jongin mumbling uncertainly in the dark as they walked home. Kyungsoo hadn’t known then what to do about Jongin’s words, but now, when he looks over at Jongdae once more, it’s like Kyungsoo doesn’t even recognize him. There’s not a flicker of emotion on his face. He doesn’t spare Kyungsoo a single glance.

“That’s my essay,” Kyungsoo says firmly, turning to his professor who gives him a very level stare. “I spent days just outlining it, I can show you—“

“Jongdae has argued the same, Kyungsoo,” she cuts in, and the tone of her voice shuts down any point Kyungsoo could possibly make. He can hear it in the way she says it – there was no room to make a case for himself, as if there was a pile of other, more important matters she has to tend to and this is just an item on her to-do list she’s eager to tick off as quickly as possible. “He tells me he also has drafts and notes. There’s no way to prove which one of you is correct.”

Kyungsoo scoffs, in utter disbelief. “I’m going to get a zero for plagiarism that I didn’t commit?”

The professor shakes her head. “No. You will be assigned a new topic and will write another paper, as consequence for plagiarism you _may_ have committed,” she explains. “Same for you, Jongdae. Check your emails for your new assignments.” She gathers the papers in front of her and drops them into her lowest drawer, kicking it closed without another word. “That is all. Papers due next Friday.”

Jongdae leaves first. Kyungsoo is in shock for another second or two before the blood under his skin starts to boil, rushing to his head. He picks up his backpack, stepping out of the office. Jongdae is already halfway down the hall.

“So what’re you going to do now?” Kyungsoo hollers after him. The hall is empty, and Kyungsoo hears his voice echo off the floor and ceiling. Jongdae’s feet come to a stop. He turns around slowly.

“Excuse me?” he says, raising a thin eyebrow at Kyungsoo.

“You have to write a new essay,” Kyungsoo repeats, walking up to him, so close their faces are only a breath apart. “What’re you going to do now that you can’t copy off mine again?”

The smirk at Jongdae’s lip curls with so much malice that Kyungsoo is amazed he ever found any warmth in Jongdae before. Kyungsoo had read him all wrong; his smile wasn’t endearing. It was cunning.

“You’re just one person in a sea of other English majors, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae tells him gently. “I can always make new friends, you know. It’s not very hard at all.” He shrugs. “It’s amazing how easily people fall for a smile. How simply they can melt like butter after you call them ‘cute’ just once.”

Heat blossoms in Kyungsoo’s ears. He scowls. _Fuck this blushing shit,_ he curses, and tells himself it’s not out of embarrassment. It’s… out of frustration. Anger. At _himself_ , above all. Baekhyun had been right. Kyungsoo had gotten soft. Too soft.

He straightens his shoulders, stepping away from Jongdae and the dangerous tug of his smirk.

Kyungsoo takes an even breath, steels himself. “Life will crush you under its thumb one day,” he tells him placidly, voice low and flat. Something flashes across Jongdae’s face, a waver in his expression, but then it disappears, like a wrinkle being smoothed down. “Good luck on your paper. You’ll fucking need it.” He marches past Jongdae without another glance, down the stairs and out onto campus. Once he’s sure Jongdae can’t see him, Kyungsoo breaks out into a jog, heading straight for Livern.

 

 

 

-

He slams the door, tossing his backpack against the wall.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he mutters under his breath when he sits down at his desk, head falling between his hands. What the fuck was he thinking? Giving someone his entire fucking essay?

He’s not sure how long he sits there, cursing his dumb moment of weakness over and over. Study buddies were stupid, why did he ever agree to one?

Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. Kyungsoo sighs, wheeling his chair over to flip the lock. Jongin is on the other side with three smoothies balanced in a cup holder and the brightest grin plastered on his face.

“Sehun’s not here,” Kyungsoo says simply, wondering if that’ll steer Jongin and his never-ending happiness away.

It doesn’t, of course. “Oh, um. I know,” Jongin lets himself in, kicking the door shut with his foot. “He’ll be here soon, though. I bought us all smoothies. I hope you like mango.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t really like mango but Jongin is already placing it on his desk before he takes a seat in Sehun’s desk chair. Kyungsoo sips the smoothie carefully. Too sweet.

“Thanks,” he holds the smoothie up with a nod and then turns around. “I have to write an essay. So…”

“Sure, I can be quiet,” Jongin says cheerfully, in the kind of voice that tells Kyungsoo he definitely won’t be quiet. Jongin loved to chatter. Chatting was like some weird, innate thing that he does even when he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.

Kyungsoo holds his head in his hands again. His stomach feels all twisted and gross. Why did he fucking care so much? It was just an essay, anyways. He could write another essay. He had the whole week, too. It wasn’t the end of the world.

No. He knows it’s not that.

“Kyungsoo…” Jongin says. Kyungsoo hears the wheels on the chair rolling towards him. “Is everything all right?”

Kyungsoo’s neck is hot. His ears are hot. His cheeks. His… eyes?

Frantically, he presses his knuckles up to his tear ducts and his skin comes back wet. What the _fuck_?

His throat is thick when he tries to speak. He coughs, sniffles. A tear escapes, and runs down his cheek.

Jongin’s hands are on his shoulder in a second. “Oh my God, Kyungsoo,” he says gently, and the sympathy in his voice makes Kyungsoo want to bash his own head into the wall. He can’t even _remember_ the last time he cried. He didn’t even cry when he fractured his wrist on the playground in third grade. This was ridiculous.

“Kyungsoo, oh my goodness. What’s wrong?” Jongin asks urgently. He’s sat himself down on the edge of Kyungsoo’s bed, twirling Kyungsoo’s chair so that he’s facing him. Their knees touch as Jongin pulls the chair closer, hands still resting on Kyungsoo’s arms, rubbing slow circles through his sweater. “Do you want to tell me?”

“It’s—“ Kyungsoo bites his lip, shaking his head. “It’s nothing, it’s… I don’t even know why… I mean, I feel fine. Don’t worry.” He tries to chuckle a bit to alleviate the sudden weight in the air. Jongin doesn’t move.

“It’s clearly not nothing,” Jongin prompts softly. Kyungsoo looks down at his lap, where both their hands are resting. Kyungsoo’s hands look tiny beside Jongin’s. “You can tell me. I mean, only if you want. I want to help you.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head again. What could he do besides shake his head? His eyes trail up to meet Jongin’s face, whose eyebrows are furrowed so tightly in concern they look like they could fold together into one. Kyungsoo’s voice feels caught at the back of his throat. He’s afraid to say it. He’s afraid to make it true.

“It’s just Jongdae, he—“

Jongin’s eyes widen. “What the _hell_ did he do?”

Kyungsoo exhales. He tells Jongin about the essay, how he had given Jongdae his completed drafts, not expecting him to copy it word-for-word. He tells Jongin about how he has to re-do an essay he’d almost pulled a million all-nighters for.

“Shit, sometimes these profs are so tired, they don’t even want to hear you out,” Jongin sighs.

Kyungsoo shrugs a lazy shoulder. “It’s not even about the essay, really…” he answers. He doesn’t even realize what he’s said until he feels the grip on his arm go slack for a second. Jongin blinks at him, eyes swimming.

“I don’t make friends easily,” whispers Kyungsoo. “Let alone… _like_ people easily. But Jongdae was fun. We liked a lot of the same books. I let myself start caring too soon. It was a mistake.” He thinks about Jongdae’s grin, the way he’d stared at Kyungsoo over a cup of green tea and a plate of sushi.

Kyungsoo laughs, short and dry. “I mean, I barely even knew him. Fuck. I don’t know why I thought he would like me like _that_.” He lifts his arm, wiping his cheeks and praying to God that his eyes aren’t red and puffy. At least the tears have stopped as quickly as they had come.

When he looks at Jongin again, Jongin’s face is almost sad. Kyungsoo can’t tell if it’s pity or not. It feels like something else, but he can’t quite place it. “Kyungsoo,” Jongin says after a minute, tongue swiping at his lower lip, “No one’s worth your tears. You’re…” He stops. The line of his mouth goes thin and flat, and then he’s smiling softly again, his brown eyes the colour of melted chocolate and just as smooth and warm.

“Look, Jongdae is… He got to the top of his high school class by exploiting, like, everyone he possibly could. He turns charm on and off like a light switch. I’ve seen it. First-hand. He knows how to get people to like him,” Jongin explains. Then he sighs and ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair until Kyungsoo gives in and cracks the tiniest smile. Jongin’s smile reaches up to the crinkles in his eyes. “You are not dumb or gullible or weak for liking him. He _makes_ himself likeable on purpose.”

There’s a split second pause and Kyungsoo thinks Jongin’s going to say something else. But then the door opens and Sehun parades into the room with a long, tired sigh and a stack of piano books in his arms which he drops onto his bed.

“Did you get my smoothie?” he asks, glancing at Jongin.

Jongin nods to Sehun’s desk. “Honeydew. Over there.”

Sehun reaches over and chugs a quarter of it in one breath. Jongin’s hands are still poised on Kyungsoo’s arms, and Kyungsoo immediately jumps back. Neither Sehun nor Jongin seem to notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u to ppl who are still out here reading this fluffy mess!!! *sends u hearteus*


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> crop tops? always a good idea
> 
> :-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last update yayyyy ^_^ belated merry christmas to all those who celebrate! i hope this is warm n fuzzy enough for the holiday season~
> 
>  
> 
> (a/n: rating for this fic has been changed to "mature" for sexually suggestive language in this last chapter)

The worst part about the Jongdae situation turns out to be the part where he has to inevitably tell Baekhyun.

It’s 1AM and they’re at the pizza place across the street from campus, sitting in the corner of the dingy shop at the bar stools by the window. Kyungsoo managed to submit his new essay two minutes before the deadline and met up with Baekhyun after the latter’s Korean Student Association semi-formal.

“Wait, I thought you already wrote that essay,” Baekhyun mentions, ripping a bite out of his pizza. He almost pulls half the mozzarella off the slice and yelps in protest.

Kyungsoo nibbles anxiously at a piece of pepperoni. “Yeah, I had to… resubmit.”

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow, inquisitively. Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and bites the bullet. This was Baekhyun, after all. He’d have to tell his best friend eventually.

So, Kyungsoo gulps down half his water bottle and as nonchalant as he can be, explains to Baekhyun about the plagiarism, about Jongdae, and about how Jongin had warned him but Kyungsoo hadn’t really realized what Jongin had been trying to say.

There’s a second of silence as Kyungsoo watches Baekhyun’s mind reeling behind his eyes. Then, Baekhyun dabs his mouth with his napkin and sips his Sprite quietly. “I’ll call Chanyeol.”

 “What? Why?” Kyungsoo frowns.

“Because,” Baekhyun says, scrunching up his napkin, and the placid smile on his face turns deadly. “When I go murder Kim Jongdae, I’ll need help throwing that _mother fucker’s_ body into the bottom of the God-damned _ocean_!”

Kyungsoo blinks. He’s about to chuckle at Baekhyun’s typical over-zealousness, but suddenly, he sees the flush in his best friend’s cheeks and the white of his knuckles as he crushes his empty pop can, and thinks for a second that Baekhyun might be dead serious.

“Don’t start a scene, Baek. I’m fine, I’m over it.” Kyungsoo sighs and takes a sullen bite out of his pizza. It’s greasy and gross, but it’s still the best comfort food.

“Ugh, why did I believe Junmyeon-hyung in the first place? The guy’s a sweetheart, but he’s actually really fucking oblivious. I’m so dumb,” Baekhyun pinches Kyungsoo’s cheeks and Kyungsoo wants to bite his fingers off, but he’s secretly touched by Baekhyun’s evident furiousness, so Kyungsoo just lets it happen.

“I’ll never let you date a sweet-talking rich bitch ever again, Soo. Mark my words.”

Kyungsoo, despite himself, smiles.

 

 

 

-

Kyungsoo finds Jongin in the laundry room on a lazy Sunday. He’s sitting cross-legged on top of the washer, mythology textbook cracked open on his lap, pouting cutely at the pages as if they’ve personally offended him.

Kyungsoo walks over to the neighbouring machine. “Hey, Jongin,” he greets.

Jongin looks up, beaming. His fair is floppy and tousled and long at the sides. “Oh, hi! What are you doing here?”

“Um, laundry?” Kyungsoo chuckles. “What about you?”

“Right, right, sorry, dumb question…” Jongin laughs awkwardly and shuts his textbook. “Well, I’m doing laundry too. They’re doing maintenance over at Hyert and our laundry room is closed for the whole week.”

“Bummer.” Kyungsoo splashes detergent into the washer, dumps in his basket of clothes, then presses start on the machine. He hops up onto the folding table across from Jongin, nodding at his textbook. “How’s mythology going?”

Jongin groans. “Ugh, shitty.”

Kyungsoo swings his legs back and forth, contemplatively. “You should study with me at the library next week.” He swallows, feeling his neck flush. “Since, you know… I don’t have a study-buddy anymore.”

Jongin blinks a million times and Kyungsoo watches his mouth morph into an ‘O’ shape. “Yes!” exclaims Jongin. He shuts his jaw then adds more quietly, “I-I mean, I’d like that. Haha.”

Kyungsoo nods. “Okay, cool.” He lets Jongin go back to his textbook, replies to a few text messages he’d been ignoring, and scrolls for a while through Facebook. He stumbles on a familiar event page – an on-campus charity fashion show Sehun won’t shut the fuck up about. “Hey, Sehun’s modelling for this,” he shows Jongin his phone screen.

“Oh, yeah. I’m making him audition with me,” Jongin murmurs. “He’s totally going to get in, but _I_ need him there for a morale booster.”

“You’ll get in,” Kyungsoo says absently.

Jongin makes a shocked noise; a flattered, disbelieving scoff. “I dunno, I get nervous.”

Kyungsoo’s mouth moves faster than his brain. “Why? You look like you walked right off a fashion week runway.”

Jongin’s eyes widen. “That’s—” he stutters. To Kyungsoo’s surprise, he stops suddenly. “I-I can’t believe you just said that.”

“What?” says Kyungsoo.

“Nothing,” Jongin ducks his head, scratches his neck awkwardly. “Just—nothing.”

Kyungsoo laughs. “I can’t believe you’re _blushing_. Come on, you must hear that like ten times a day.”

The thing is, Kyungsoo isn’t blind. He has _eyes_. He can see that Jongin is an attractive human being. And not even the normal kind of attractive, but the ‘drop-dead-holy-shit-you-look-like-you-belong-on-billboard-ads-in-Times-Square’ kind of attractive with a jaw line that could probably cut through steel.

Most of all, though, Kyungsoo thinks he has the personality of melted chocolate. Smooth and comforting. The sort of warmth that was hard to resist.

And Kyungsoo has always known this. But you bet your ass he would never say it aloud. One, because Jongin is in a committed relationship with Kyungsoo’s roommate and two, because these were all just cold, hard facts. Anyone with eyes would agree. It’d be weirder if Kyungsoo _didn’t_ think Jongin was perfection on two legs.

In fact, when it comes to outrageously attractive individuals who are out of his league and also _not single_ , Kyungsoo knows it’s not even worth getting hung up over. He knew it the moment he saw Jongin—crushing on someone that beautiful was a total heartbreak, waiting to happen. “I do _not_ get that ten times a day,” Jongin flushes again. “And—well, even if I did, it’s…” He chuckles awkwardly. “It sounds different coming from you.”

“Different?” asks Kyungsoo. “Why?”

Jongin shrugs. He looks down at his hands folded in his lap, and is quiet for a minute. “I guess because you seem like the type to only give compliments you really mean.”

“Of course I mean it,” Kyungsoo says immediately, and is taken aback by how earnest it comes out. Too earnest, maybe. Too honest. He looks away from Jongin’s bright, bright smile and pretends to busy himself with his laundry again.

Crushing on Jongin wasn’t like crushing on Jongdae. Jongdae was a safe crush, built on mutual interests, a pretty laugh and a playful smile. After a few weeks, the whole mess had just left behind disappointment and a vague, bitter frustration.

But Jongin – he was plain dangerous. Jongin is a ‘stay-away-from-him-at-all-costs’ kind of crush, built on deep admiration, an irresistible urge to take care of him and the impossible bubbly warmth that every time he smiles at Kyungsoo, Kyungsoo feels like the only person in the room.

 

 

 

-

“Come out, Soo!”

“This looks fucking ridiculous, Baek.”

It’s a crop top.

A literal _crop top._ As in Kyungsoo’s whole mid-drift is exposed every time he lifts his arms even an inch.

“You lost the bet, and this is your punishment. Fair and square,” Baekhyun tries to reason from the other side of the door, but he sounds smug as fuck, and Kyungsoo wants to smash his face into the wall. “COME OUT OR ELSE I’M BREAKING DOWN THE BATHROOM—"

Kyungsoo throws open the door, fuming. “Okay, okay, here, take your damn picture so I can move on with my life.” He stuffs his hands in the pocket of his jeans. He looks up. Baekhyun jaw is on the ground. “What?”

“ _What?_ What do you mean ‘WHAT.’ Kyungsoo, when did you get _hot?_ ”

Kyungsoo scowls. “What the fuck, Baek—”

“This was supposed to be a funny joke, but I’m. I have. No words. I would actually. Hypothetically. Bang you,” Baekhyun says, nodding solemnly. “Hypothetically. Because I’m straight.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. This is probably the dumbest punishment he’s ever agreed to, and in retrospect, he regrets everything. (For the record, the bet had been whether or not Chanyeol would have the guts to ask out Irene, the girl in his Second-Year Korean class and vice-president of the Korean Student Association. Kyungsoo had had a terrible lapse in judgement, thinking that Chanyeol would actually do it. But Baekhyun, suspiciously insistent, swearing on his ancestors’ graves, bet Chanyeol wouldn’t. And now Kyungsoo is _never ever_ going to make the mistake of thinking either of them were straight. Ever again.)

“Speaking of hypothetical banging, Jongin might nut if he saw you in this,” Baekhyun comments casually.

Kyungsoo wants to rip his hair out. He really should get back into the habit of not updating his best friend on his personal life. “Baek—that’s—ughhh, you can’t say that…”

“Why not?” Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “Like, okay, when you told me you had a crush on him, I was like ‘duhhh, who doesn’t?’ but _then_ I started noticing that you guys have some seriously weird sexual tension. I’m surprised Sehun hasn’t noticed. Like, I dare say Kim Jongin is thirsty for you.”

“We do _not_ have sexual tension and Jongin is _not_ thirsty. Don’t be stupid.”

Baekhyun laughs obnoxiously. “Right, Soo, you keep thinking that.”

“Can you just take the damn picture before Sehun comes back?” Kyungsoo crosses his arms over his chest. Baekhyun grins wickedly, whipping out his phone, and snaps at least fifty photos.

And because God hates Kyungsoo, the door to the bedroom swings open at that exact moment.

“Hey, Kyung—” Jongin stops in his tracks.

Kyungsoo’s face is burning so bright, someone might as well have thrown him into a pot of lava. “W-where’s Sehun?” he asks, as calmly as he can manage.

Jongin almost drops the bubble tea tray in his hand. “He’s… still walking b-back from his class. I—just, I’m, well—I, you know, it’s W-Wednesday, so that’s when Bubble House has, like, you know the boba sale so I-I thought I’d bring us boba, like, you know, always, but, oh I didn’t, uhhh, I mean, I didn’t mean to walk in? On? Anything? Not that, uhhhh, not that anything. About. Like, anything, is weird. Or anything.”

There’s an eternity of silence, and then Baekhyun’s barely-contained laugh escapes his lips. He masks it in a cough. “Oh, would you look at the time,” Baekhyun glances at his empty wrist, “I gotta go grab pizza with Chanyeol.” He gathers his stuff, winking at Kyungsoo on his way out.

“I lost a bet,” Kyungsoo explains helplessly, as soon as he and Jongin are alone. Somehow, the temperature in the room has spiked to a million degrees.

“O-okay,” says Jongin, licking his lips. He turns around, setting down the bubble tea on Sehun’s desk, then clearing his throat awkwardly. “You look, um, good.”

“Good?”

Jongin turns to face him again. Oh God. Oh, he is so cute. Perfect chiseled face, and also, unfairly adorable.  He’s blushing so much. More than Kyungsoo, maybe. Kyungsoo is beyond confused right now. “Yeah, like… really good.” Jongin chuckles, and it sounds so nervous and unexpectedly… genuine. Or maybe that’s just Kyungsoo’s ridiculous imagination.

Kyungsoo’s not sure if he wants to jump out the window or bask in this adorableness forever. “Oh.” He bites his lip, not knowing what to say. “Well, um. Baek’s gone now so I’m just gonna change… out of this. Thanks for the boba.”

Jongin nods. “Yeah, yeah. Of course.” He sits down on Sehun’s bed, and crosses his legs. He’s never looked so stiff in their room before. Kyungsoo almost wants to ask if he’s okay.

But then he remembers he’s still in a fucking crop top, so he runs back into the bathroom. The mirror stares back at him. His face is beet red.

 

 

 

-

Following The Crop Top Incident, Jongin starts avoiding Kyungsoo’s eyes. It takes two whole weeks before Jongin can even hold conversations with him again, and by then, Kyungsoo is convinced Jongin is scarred forever.

Thankfully, things go back to normal, albeit very slowly. Kyungsoo is studying in the Student Centre lounge when he sees someone pull back the chair across from him.

“Hey, can I sit with you?” Jongin asks, bundled up in his winter coat, cheeks and nose all red and cute from the cold.

Kyungsoo chuckles. “You don’t have to ask, Jongin.”

Jongin grins brightly. “I know, I just don’t want to disturb you.”

Kyungsoo shuts his laptop. He’s got a short paper due in four hours, but it could wait. “It’s fine. I need a break, anyways.” He pops open the lid on his travel mug and is pleased to find that his coffee is still warm.

“I just came back from that model audition with Sehun,” Jongin shares.

“Yeah? How’d it go?”

“Um, really good.” He scoots his chair in so that they’re knees knock under the table. “They passed us both on the spot.”

Kyungsoo laughs, sipping his coffee. “Of course they did.”

Jongin ducks his head bashfully. “I-I mean, I think they took us because we’re really passionate about the club,” he insists, unwinding his scarf and shrugging off his coat. Underneath, he’s wearing a t-shirt and a thin cardigan, and Kyungsoo wonders if this man ever gets cold.

“Hmm, I’m _sure_ that’s why,” says Kyungsoo, unconvinced. “And not at _all_ because you’re both 6ft and pretty.”

Jongin flushes pink. “Well, one of the designers came up to me after. She showed me the outfits they’re planning for the show and let me take pictures of the ones she thinks I’d be good in.”

Kyungsoo can’t help but smile at how eager Jongin looks. He suddenly feels… really happy for him. The way his eyes crinkle. The way he presses his hands to his pink cheeks. How warm his legs feels through their jeans, brushing against Kyungsoo’s. It makes Kyungsoo’s stomach flutter dangerously. Abort. Abort.

“That’s cool. Did you like the outfits?”

Jongin fishes his phone out and shows Kyungsoo the pictures he took of the designer sketches at the audition. One of them in particular makes Kyungsoo want to sweat buckets.

“That’s a… um, that’s a crop top…” Kyungsoo can feel his pulse beat erratically in his neck.

“Oh,” Jongin squints at the screen. “Yeah…”

Kyungsoo rubs his neck. Jongin turns into a tomato again. Kyungsoo doesn’t want to make it more awkward than it already is, so he just sighs, and goes with honesty. “Well, I know you’ll look better in it than I did,” he says, shrugging to make it seem as casual as possible.

Jongin sputters. “That is _definitely_ not true.”

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows shoot up.

“I just mean… well…” Jongin pauses. Something flashes across his face in that moment, and Kyungsoo isn’t sure what it is. Then, the last thing he expects to hear out of Jongin’s mouth, comes out of his mouth. “You looked hot, hyung.”

Kyungsoo almost spits out his coffee. What. The Fuck. Heat starts crawling up his neck, right to the tips of his ears. Jongin looks like he’s trying not to smile as Kyungsoo tries not to melt into a puddle. This… this wasn’t fair. If it was anyone else, Kyungsoo would take it for flirting. But this is Jongin. Wholesome, puppy Jongin. Off limits.

“You’re… really too nice for your own good, Jonginnie.” Kyungsoo presses his lips together and opens up his laptop again.

Jongin half-smile morphs into confusion. “Hyung, I-I’m not saying it because I’m _nice_ , I—"

“Ah, my favourite roommates!” Sehun suddenly pops up behind Kyungsoo, and plops happily into the seat beside him. He smells like hairspray, and there is literal glitter across his cheekbones. “Wanna go grab lunch?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I gotta work on this essay.”

“Ah, such a workaholic.” Sehun pouts and turns to Jongin. “What about you, sweetie?”

From the corner of his eye, Kyungsoo can tell Jongin is staring at him still. “I… yeah, um. Sure, I guess.” He starts to gather his things, throwing his coat back on while Sehun fills Kyungsoo in on all the details of their perfect model audition. Kyungsoo is only half listening.

“Are we still studying together tomorrow, hyung?” Jongin asks, shouldering his back pack. He looks awkward, or nervous. Or both.

And because, Kyungsoo realizes, he has no resolve when it comes to all things Jongin, Kyungsoo knows he can never say no. Even though he really should.

He exhales, smiling at him. “Yeah. I’ll meet you at the library after class.”

Jongin grins back, and it’s the brightest thing in the room.

 

 

 

-

It turns out that Jongin’s favourite study spot is a small corner on the library’s sixth floor. It’s a deserted place that’s drier and dustier than the ancient books on the shelves. But it’s pin-drop silent, and Kyungsoo likes how easy it is to focus.

Well, it would be easy. If he wasn’t with Jongin. Which he is.

They sit arm to arm at a study table with a three-wall divider. Jongin lets Kyungsoo work on his own stuff for a while, but an hour later, he’s dropped his head onto Kyungsoo’s shoulder, whining about how mythology was the worst subject ever invented and that he’d rather watch Kyungsoo write his essay than read another paragraph of his assigned readings.

Kyungsoo stiffens, and hopes Jongin doesn’t notice. From this close, he can smell the shampoo of Jongin’s hair, the freshness of his cologne. Kyungsoo’s fingers quiver over his keyboard. He takes a large breath in, relishing how warm his cheek feels through Kyungsoo’s sweater and—

And he also smells like Sehun’s woodsy body wash.

Kyungsoo coughs suddenly. Jongin sits up. “You okay, hyung?”

“I—” Kyungsoo tries to say, but the words get lost half way up his throat. “J-Jongin, this is—"

Now Jongin looks scared. “What’s going on?”

“Look—” Kyungsoo licks his lips. His hands shake a bit as he closes his laptop, turning slightly in his chair to force himself to look at Jongin in the eyes. “Sehun’s my _roommate_ , but he’s also, like, my friend. One of my _only_ friends, really. And this… all the close proximity… makes me…”

Jongin’s beautiful, puppy-eyed pout turns blank. “Kyungsoo-hyung,” he says pointedly. “I am so confused right now.”

“Well, I mean, it’s just—” Kyungsoo huffs. Normally, these were exactly the kinds of conversations Kyungsoo avoided like the plague. Feelings? Crushes? Conflict resolution? No fucking thanks.

But this is Jongin. And Kyungsoo’s guilt cuts through his nerves. “Jongin, you’re my friend too, and I like hanging out with you. A lot. I just don’t think it’s fair to Sehun because he’s really been like, an amazing roommate. Well, not _amazing_ , I mean, he’s still messy as fuck. But he’s nice. And funny. And he puts up with me when I’m cranky in the morning and I don’t think he actually falls asleep at night until I’m home.” He licks his lips, hating how hot his cheeks feel. “So… I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. And you guys are _so_ great together! I don’t want mess that up by—”

He stops all of a sudden because Jongin has brought both of his hands up to his mouth, and is doubled over like his appendix just burst. “J-Jongin?” Kyungsoo squeaks. When Jongin sits up, his face is on fire. There are tears streaming down his cheeks. Kyungsoo is on the verge of dialing 911, but then, Jongin lets his hands fall and Kyungsoo realizes that he’s _laughing_. A huge, soaring laughter that rips through the silence of the library.

It takes a whole minute before he can speak again, and when he does, he’s completely breathless. “Hang on, hang on, hang _on_ ,” Jongin snorts, placing his hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “Did—did you think… _Sehun_ and I… are _dating_? Like full-on _boyfriends_?”

“Uh,” says Kyungsoo, because his brain stopped working half a second ago. “Well. Yeah?”

“Hyung, oh my _God_ ,” Jongin bursts into a laughing fit again. “Oh my God, Sehun’s going to _die_.”

Kyungsoo momentarily forgets how to form words. His mouth moves on its own. “Are you _not_ dating?”

“Absolutely not.”

“B-but you’re always together!” Kyungsoo jumps back like he’s been burned. “Baekhyun thought you were dating too!” He pauses in stunned silence. “Sehun fucking calls you _sweetie_!”

“Yeah, but it’s like a _thing_ he does just to bother me,” Jongin shrugs, as if _that_ is a completely normal hetero bro-thing to do. “It’s an inside joke from high school. Sehun is, like, _super_ straight.”

“WHAT.” Kyungsoo doesn’t even know what planet he’s on anymore.

Jongin pauses. “Okay, maybe not 100% straight, but definitely at least 80.”

“No fucking way.”

“Mmm, right. I’d say 75—"

Kyungsoo cuts him off. “But—like—You _always_ come over! With food and drinks and shit, and you hang out so late. You two are glued together!”

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin laughs again, but it’s softer this time. “I came over all the time to see _you_.”

“Oh.” Kyungsoo sounds like a robot whose circuit board got dumped into a toilet. “That’s. Um. I don’t think I follow.”

Jongin chuckles sheepishly. His cheeks are so red. Like plump little cherries. Kyungsoo wants to bite them. This is the worst time to get a boner. “Hyung, I started crushing on you the moment I saw you.”

Kyungsoo blinks. “But you… avoided me after the whole crop top thing. I thought it had scarred you or something…” he mumbles quietly.

Jongin looks like he’s going to choke on air. “Hyung, I told you, you were so hot, it was _distracting_. I couldn’t even look you in the eye.” He chuckles again when Kyungsoo’s eyes go wide, and then tousles Kyungsoo’s hair playfully. “You may get good grades, but you’re really dumb. I thought I was super obvious, but… but then you started liking Jongdae and I was scared I’d never get the courage to tell you.”

This didn’t happen to Kyungsoo. Hot Abercrombie boys didn’t just _like_ Kyungsoo. “I think I’m about to pass out. I’m so… confused.”

Jongin bites his lip awkwardly. “So… is this, um, a rejection?”

Kyungsoo jumps in his chair, flailing his arms in what is definitely an unattractive spasm, but Jongin’s cherry plump cheeks are still flushed.

“Jongin! Listen, you’re, like, the walking textbook definition of ‘perfect’ _and_ I thought you were dating my fucking roommate! I couldn’t _let_ myself like you.” Kyungsoo explains, shaking his head. He wants to laugh and scream and cry at the same time. “I still can’t believe this is real.”

“So…” Jongin tilts his head cutely. So cutely. Kyungsoo’s heart is going to Explode. “This _isn’t_ a rejection?”

Kyungsoo leans forward on the study table, covering his face. His head and heart are pounding in sync. “No, you impossibly gorgeous dummy,” he mutters into his hands, half hoping Jongin can’t hear him.

But Jongin just laughs again, and Kyungsoo realizes he definitely, definitely heard him. Two warm hands pull at Kyungsoo’s, and the latter looks up at Jongin through his eyelashes.

“Hyung, has anyone ever told you you’re beautiful?”

“I—” Kyungsoo chokes. “No…”

“That’s a shame. You deserve daily reminders,” Jongin says. And when he leans in to press a sweet, chaste kiss on the corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth, it feels like an instant and forever.

 

 

 

-

Kyungsoo has no idea how he ended up at Chanyeol’s frat party but the moment he steps inside the crowded house, pressed up against countless slimy bodies, he instantly regrets every life decision that has led him here.

“Kyungsoooooooo!” screams Baekhyun when Kyungsoo finally finds his friend in the kitchen, sitting on the counter with a beer bottle in his hand and a red Solo cup in the other. He thrusts the cup in Kyungsoo’s direction.

“What is it?” asks Kyungsoo dubiously.

“I don’t know, actually, we just threw together whatever was leftover in Chanyeol’s mini fridge. Maybe rum and coke? Maybe a bit of orange juice? I also saw lime-flavoured Smirnoff so could be some of that too,” he loops his arm around Kyungsoo’s neck. “I’m past the point of tasting things, to be honest.” He giggles in Kyungsoo’s ear and Kyungsoo gets a hearty whiff of cheap beer from the smell of his breath.

“Where’s Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo says, pulling away. Usually, Chanyeol stuck close to Baekhyun at house parties, barking at anyone who got too close to his friend. (Although, Kyungsoo uses the word ‘ _friend_ ’ very reluctantly when it comes to those two.)

Baekhyun shrugs. “Living room, last I saw him. Sehunnie and Jonginnie are probably with him too.” He hops off the counter and grabs Kyungsoo’s wrist. “Let’s go find them!”

They walk through a fresh crowd of slimy bodies. The living room is less packed than the kitchen. There are three couples making out on the couches and a group of people dancing in the middle of the room. Kyungsoo spots Chanyeol and Sehun in a deep conversation across the dance floor, leaning against a wall as they scream into each other’s ears to try and talk over the music.

Baekhyun jumps on Chanyeol’s shoulders when he sees them and Sehun woops as he catches sight of Kyungsoo trailing behind him. “You left your cave! I’m so proud!” Sehun exclaims. “And you look like a whole fucking meal, what the fuck, Kyungsoo! You should wear your hair tousled up like that more often.” He gives Kyungsoo an over-dramatic up-and-down glance, and Kyungsoo scowls. Sehun then peers into Kyungsoo’s disgusting Solo cup. “Bottom’s up then I’ll pass you a fresh beer.”

Kyungsoo sighs and downs Baekhyun’s unholy concoction in one shot. Baekhyun hollers approvingly. Sehun is about to give him a new drink, but Kyungsoo bats it away. The sad truth is that Kyungsoo is a terrible lightweight and that one mix was already making his head spin. “I’ll pass for now, thanks,” he sighs, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

They’re actually Baekhyun’s jeans which Kyungsoo had been coerced into wearing. (He had adamantly refused, but Baekhyun had said it was either this or the crop top.) Baekhyun was fond of the black, tight fit, ripped at the knees and thighs, which Kyungsoo just thought was dumb but in the end, he was too lazy to fight it.

And in Baekhyun’s words, the jeans apparently made Kyungsoo’s ass look “like the juiciest fucking pumpkins ever created.” And those were not words Kyungsoo wished to ever hear aloud, ever again, but he had slipped into the jeans begrudgingly.

“So, where’s Jongin?” Kyungsoo asks, as nonchalantly as he can manage, even though his whole body is on fire as soon as he says his name.

Sehun nods. “Over there.”

Kyungsoo turns around. Jongin is in the middle of the dance floor, his arms around a girl that Kyungsoo’s never seen before. She has one arm wrapped around Jongin’s torso, rolling her lithe body in time with the pounding bass. Jongin’s head throws back in laughter as he matches her movements.

He looks… perfect, Kyungsoo decides. With his perfect grin, and his perfect laugh, and his perfect toned chest, exposed by the ridiculous low cut of his red shirt. The girl moves forward, pressing their foreheads together, and Kyungsoo’s whole chest constricts.

 _This is fine, this is fine, this is fine,_ he chants in his head. They hadn’t discussed… labels… yet. There technically wasn’t a contract for exclusivity, Kyungsoo reminds himself, to try and calm his internal screaming. Every organ in his body gains fifty pounds.

He bites his lip and is about to turn around before he gets caught staring, but then, because every god in the world hates Kyungsoo tonight, Jongin looks up at that exact moment and catches Kyungsoo’s gaze.

Fuck.

Jongin detaches himself from the girl in less than two seconds and crosses the room in five quick strides. “Kyungsoo-hyung… you’re here.”

Kyungsoo suddenly wishes he had taken the beer just so his hands had something to do. “I’m—yes, I am here. Unfortunately.”

“I’ve never seen you… wear these—jeans before.”

“Uh, yeah,” Kyungsoo is fucking blushing right now, he can _feel_ it and he hates it so much. “They’re Baekhyun’s. I was forced into them.”

“You need to take Baekhyun’s fashion advice more often.”

“I—what do you mean?”

“I mean,” Jongin’s voice gets lower, but somehow Kyungsoo can hear it loud and clear over the EDM, “you’re even hotter than usual right now and I’m kind of thinking really inappropriate thoughts about your thighs.”

Kyungsoo is pretty sure he’s just fallen into the fiery pits of hell because the temperature in the room just spiked eighty million degrees. An incoherent stutter is about to leave his throat, but he catches himself and his stupid pettiness takes over before he can reign it in. “Tell that to your girlfriend. I’m sure she’s disappointed you left her.”

Jongin’s eyebrows shoot up into his forehead. His shocked expression becomes a slow grin. “Wait. Were you jealous?”

Kyungsoo swings awkwardly on the balls of his feet and tries to steel his own embarrassed expression. “Ew. No. Of course not.”

Jongin, of all things, _groans_ – sounding frustrated, or horny, or both, and Kyungsoo’s brain explodes. “I can’t believe you are so cute and so hot at the same time,” Jongin mutters, looping his arms around Kyungsoo’s back and pulling Kyungsoo towards him until their bodies are pressed together. He licks his lips, smiling so innocently and so dangerously all at once. “Everyone else should be jealous of _me_ , hyung. Always,” With one hand, he cups Kyungsoo’s jaw, swiping a smooth thumb over the latter’s pink cheeks.

“What, why?” Kyungsoo asks breathily.

Jongin leans forward. “Because the most beautiful boy in the room is mine. Duh.”

This time, Kyungsoo kisses him first, catching Jongin’s plush mouth with his, moaning quietly in the back of his throat as Jongin nibbles Kyungsoo’s lower lip. Kyungsoo circles his arms around Jongin’s neck and laughs without breaking their kiss when he feels Jongin’s hands trailing to the curve of Kyungsoo’s ass.

A second later, Baekhyun’s voice screeches above the music.

“What. In the _mother fucking_. GAY HEAVENS. AM I WITNESSING.”

 

 

 

-

As it turns out, Baekhyun is just as floored as Kyungsoo had been when he finds out Sehun and Jongin are _not_ the picture-perfect twink power couple he assumed they were, and proceeds to scream at Kyungsoo over the next week in a violent mix of both anger and pure delight. (Anger, because how dare Kyungsoo have the audacity to not tell Baekhyun about his fat crush on the hottest man in school. Pure delight, because Kyungsoo _scored_ the hottest man in school.)

“Hang on,” Sehun drawls, spinning around in his desk chair. He stares back and forth between Jongin and Kyungsoo who are sitting hip to hip on Kyungsoo’s bed. “So you’re telling me,” says Sehun, “that I had to listen to Jongin’s whiny ass pine over Kyungsoo’s _literal_ ass, for months, over _no reason?_ ”

Kyungsoo almost chokes in protest. “Sehun, I thought you guys were dating. That is an extremely valid reason.”

Sehun points an accusatory foot at Jongin. His big toe pokes out of a hole in his sock. “If _you_ just confessed to him three months earlier, this whole mess would have been avoided. Your communication levels are worse than a K-Drama plot, sweetie.”

“I didn’t want to scare him off,” Jongin pouts.

Kyungsoo snorts. “Also, to be fair, you two don’t exactly scream heterosexual best-bros.”

Sehun rolls his eyes. “That’s because Jongin’s a clingy bitch.”

Jongin makes a face at Sehun, then cuddles closer to Kyungsoo. “Well, now I have a cute hyung to cling to instead.”

Kyungsoo groans. Not that word again. “Okay, please refrain from calling me that.”

Jongin looks over at Kyungsoo and smiles. “Never,” teases Jongin, and Kyungsoo really is going to have a heart attack. It’s been less than two weeks and he is so fucking whipped, he realizes, as Jongin sneaks a kiss to Kyungsoo’s jaw.

On the other side of the room, Sehun fake gags and mutters something about “please don’t doing this in front of me”, but Kyungsoo thinks he catches the shadow of a smile when Sehun turns back around to face his desk.

 

 

 

-

Before Christmas holidays, Baekhyun bribes Kyungsoo to help out with the Korean Student Association’s end of the year bake sale. Kyungsoo, because he’s too good of a friend, wakes up at 9am on a Saturday, and walks over to Hyert Hall to help carry boxes of baked goods to the student centre.

Finding Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s room isn’t hard. The whiteboards on their door are littered with a variety of dick doodles and Baekhyun’s name tag has been scribbled over with sharpie, and obnoxiously rewritten as “BACONATOR.”

Kyungsoo knocks twice.

“It’s open!” Chanyeol’s voice calls out. Kyungsoo walks in and the room smells like socks and Axe deodorant. “Hey, Ksoo. You’re like the only person that ever knocks. That’s so cute,” chuckles Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo scowls. “Of course I knock. I’m not trying to walk in on weird butt sex. I’m too young to die.”

“You’re so funny, Soo,” Baekhyun says, dumping a box of cupcakes into Kyungsoo’s arms. His smile is suspiciously placid. “But no weird butt sex here.” Chanyeol laughs very loudly. Kyungsoo lifts an eyebrow at them both, but doesn’t push it.

He peers into the box. “So, you guys didn’t actually bake these right?”

Baekhyun snorts. “Hell no. Wendy and Irene went crazy last night and went on a baking rampage.”

“Figures,” Kyungsoo mutters, unimpressed. They step outside and start walking downstairs. “Why did I agree to this again? I’m not even _in_ KSA,” he huffs, voice strained from the weight of the cupcakes.

The walk to the Student Centre is short from Hyert but in the cold, it seems miles away. Baekhyun smiles at Kyungsoo over his shoulder. “Kyungsoo, if you walk around with _that_ hair cut and _those_ wireframe glasses, you might as well wear a shirt that says ‘fresh from Seoul.’”

Kyungsoo glowers at him.  “First of all, I’m wearing contacts today,” he retorts. “And secondly, I was born in _Michigan_.” Baekhyun cackles, ignoring him.

“We recruited Jongin to help us too.”

“Jongin?”

Baekhyun smirks, like the smug demon he is. “Oh, so _now_ you care all of a sudden~”

“Shut up.” Mostly, Kyungsoo is worried that Jongin agreed to something he didn’t want to do because he’s too nice to say no. “You didn’t coerce him, did you?”

“Of course not, he said he was happy to help.”

“Also,” Chanyeol mutters (is he pouting?), “Baekhyun thinks Jongin’s hot face will attract sales.”

Well, Baekhyun isn’t technically _wrong_ , Kyungsoo almost says aloud, but stops himself because Chanyeol really is pouting.

“Ugh, what is _he_ doing here.”

Kyungsoo looks up to see Jongdae, on the other side of the hall, handing out flyers for some event. Jongdae chooses that exact moment to turn his head and catch his gaze. Kyungsoo is about to turn on his heel, but then Jongdae is jogging across the Student Centre, towards him.

“Um, hi,” he greets nervously. Baekhyun lets out something like a growl, but Kyungsoo shoots him a look.

“It’s fine, Baek, go… sort the cupcakes or something,” says Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol grabs his ~~boy~~ friend’s elbow and tugs him away, but not without patting Kyungsoo’s shoulder and mumbling, “Holler if you need us, Ksoo.”

Jongdae looks more tired than Kyungsoo remembers him being. The curl of his smile is still playful, but tame, the awkwardness between them palpable. The glint of mischief in his eyes that Kyungsoo had become so accustomed to is gone.

Kyungsoo crosses his arms. “Do you need something?”

“I—um. Not really,” Jongdae shrugs. “I mean, how is exam studying going?”

“Uh, good? I guess,” Kyungsoo doesn’t know what else to say. He narrows his eyes, wondering if Jongdae would really have the audacity to ask if he wants to be study buddies again. “Look, I promised Baekhyun I’d help with his bake sale, so I really should—”

“I came to say sorry,” Jongdae blurts out, rocking back and forth on his heels. He’s looking at Kyungsoo, but his gaze is unfocused, like he’s staring at his forehead, or between his eyebrows instead of meeting his eyes. Kyungsoo has the distinct feeling that Jongdae doesn’t have much experience in the area of apologizing.

Kyungsoo doesn’t let his guard down. “For what? The essay?”

Jongdae catches his lip between his teeth. “Well, yes. But mostly… for everything else,” he sighs. “My cousin, Joonmyeon-hyung, heard about the whole thing and really ripped me apart for it.” He chuckles quietly. “He’s not really the yelling type, so it was truly a nightmare.”

“Ah,” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “So, you’re making amends to get back on your hyung’s good side, then. Listen, Jongdae, I really don’t—”

“No!” Jongdae waves his hands insistently. “I promise, it really isn’t like that. I just… wanted to say sorry, and I hope that you don’t, you know, go the rest of your life hating me. I feel bad about the essay, but I honestly didn’t realize you, well, liked me that much.”

Kyungsoo frowns, but mostly as a reaction to the blush he feels creeping into his cheeks. “I didn’t like you _that_ much.”

Jongdae chuckles a bit louder this time, and some of that mischief comes back into his eyes. “I know, I know. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just, Joonmyeon-hyung is friends with Baekhyun, and apparently Baekhyun spared no kind words for me,” he mutters, rubbing his neck. His face is flushed. “I don’t know, a lot has happened to me this year, and I guess things just came into perspective and I… I’m sorry. There’s nothing else I can say. You, um, don’t have to forgive me or anything.” He takes a step backwards. “Anyways, good luck on your exams.”

“Wait,” Kyungsoo sighs, “I do forgive you.”

Jongdae looks startled, but Kyungsoo continues, “What I mean is… I’d rather put it in the past.” He tilts his head, and lets himself smile, just a bit. “If you weren’t totally fake during our study sessions, then maybe one day, we can be actual friends.”

“I’d like that.” Jongdae grins back, nodding.

Kyungsoo lifts an eyebrow. “One day. Not today.”

Jongdae laughs again. “Of course. See you ‘round.” He waves, then Kyungsoo notices his eyes shift to something behind him. “Tell your boyfriend not to murder me in the meantime, though. That would also be nice.”

Kyungsoo spins around, and Jongin looks 1) like he just rolled out of bed and 2) like there’s smoke coming out of his ears, glaring at Jongdae. Kyungsoo turns again, rolling his eyes. “I’ll train him,” he promises. Jongdae winks and jogs back to his booth.

“Don’t look so fucking mopey, Jongin,” Kyungsoo mutters, flicking him playfully in the arm as they walk together to the KSA booth. Baekhyun and Chanyeol, now joined by Irene, are bickering over what the best display for the cupcakes should be.

“What if he tries to steal you away from me?” grumbles Jongin, rubbing the sleep out of his puffy eyes. He’s really so cute and gorgeous and soft, Kyungsoo’s heart is definitely going to collapse under the weight of how in love he is.

Feeling bold, Kyungsoo steps up onto his tippy toes and plants a kiss on Jongin’s cheek. “He could never.” He lifts his hand, to pat his chin, and is about to walk away, when Jongin catches his wrist.

“What?” Kyungsoo asks, surprised.

Jongin’s gaze melts into something beautiful, a warm contentedness, the kind of look Kyungsoo thought he could only dream about. “Nothing,” Jongin shakes his head, grinning as he kisses Kyungsoo tenderly, cupping the latter’s face between his soft palms. “I’m just in love with you, hyung.”

Kyungsoo turns around before he can be caught blushing. It was way too early in the morning for this. “You’re too nice for your own good, Jonginnie,” he mutters, and surprises himself with how breathless he sounds.

Jongin laughs, wrapping his arm around Kyungsoo’s waist and pulls him to his side. “Only you would have the nerve to think me being in love with you is because I’m _nice_. Honestly, hyung, you’re ridiculous sometimes.”

Kyungsoo spins around his grasp and Jongin is quick to pull him in tight so he can’t wiggle free. “It’s because you’re too good to be true, Kim Jongin.”

“Hmm,” Jongin says. “Then I guess I just gotta be more convincing, don’t I?” He lets his arms fall to Kyungsoo’s waist again, slipping his fingers discreetly under the hem of Kyungsoo’s shirt, pressing delicately on the spot at Kyungsoo’s hip bone where Jongin had sucked a large purple-red hickey yesterday.

Kyungsoo swats his hand away. “Do _not_ give me a boner right now,” he warns, but even to himself, his voice sounds weak.

Jongin doesn’t back down, pouting in that way he knows drives Kyungsoo crazy. “But we skipped morning sex today, and you haven’t fucked me all week. Hyung, I can only handle so much.”

“Kyungsoo tops?” That’s Irene, who has somehow magically materialized beside them, sucking on a lemon lollipop. “Damn, I owe Chanyeol money.”

Kyungsoo huffs, cheeks burning. “Noona, no offense, but I don’t think the booth needs all five of us manning it right now.”

Irene purses her lips, shifting her weight from one leg to the other in a manner so intimidating that Kyungsoo momentarily feels shorter than her. But then, she smiles. “Fine, I’ll give you guys a one hour break,” she says. “One. Hour. Got it?” She winks at them as she walks back to the booth, just in time to shove Baekhyun aside and accuse him of eating three cupcakes for free.

Jongin double pouts, fingers returning to Kyungsoo’s waist, and okay yeah, Kyungsoo might be Officially turned on now. “An hour? That’s not very long.”

Kyungsoo licks his lips, pushing up on his toes again – this time to whisper in Jongin’s ear, “Guess I have to make it quick, then, huh?” He pecks Jongin’s neck, then pulls away quickly, walking towards the Student Centre doors, towards Livern. When he glances over his shoulder, Jongin’s just snapped out of his daze and is jogging to catch up with him.

Kyungsoo whips out his phone as he steps outside.

 

**To: Sehunnie**

Are you in the room rn?

**From: Sehunnie**

Ugh yes but if ur coming to fuck i’ll leave asap

Also dispose of your condoms in _your_ trash can, pls and thx

The last thing I need to see is anything my best friend has nutted in

**To: Sehunnie**

What makes you think jongin’s the one wearing the condom?

**From: Sehunnie**

… ………,,.,

U gHhhhh

Im legit gonna erase that text

And pretend it nvr happnd

 

As they cross the bridge across campus, Jongin slips his hand into Kyungsoo’s, tucking their locked grasp into his coat pocket. The winter air is fierce and cold against their skin, but Kyungsoo huddles into Jongin’s warmth, and realizes suddenly, that this – just this, hands locked, cheeks flushed, giddy with love – _this_ , is enough to make him happy for a very long time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for reading! i never thought this fic would see the light of day, but im happy ppl have stuck around to read it ;; 
> 
> happy holidays x


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